Car-coupling apparatus



H. K. HITCHCOCK CAR COUPLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-She 1 Filed June 9, 192

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Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED; STATES 1,679,472 PATENT Q FFEE.

HALBER'I K. H I'ICHCOGK, F PITTSBURGH,. PENNSYLVANIA, .ASSIGNOR TO PITTS- BURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING APPARATUS.

Application filed June 9, 1926.

The invention relates-to car coupling'apparatus designed particularly for'coupling together the cars or tables employedin straightaway glass grinding'and polishing Operations. In such operations, the cars with the glass seated upon their upper faces, are moved in a continuous train beneatha series'of' grinding and polishing runners. It is necessary under "these conditions that the cars be held tightly together, so that the upper surfaces constitute'a continuous unbroken surface, and it is the primary object of the presentinvention to provide coupling ap aratus of simple, reliable design, which wiil insure the maintenance of the car or table ends tightly in contact, regardless of vibration or strain tending to loosen the connections and permit the cars to spread apart. The coupling is also arranged to be operated automatically so as to disconnect the cars by a movement over a suitable cam when the cars arrive at a certainpositionrof travel. Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereini Figure 1 is a partial side elevation and partial section'showing. one form of the invention. Fig. 2 is aplan View. Fig. 2 is a section on the line aa of 2. Fig. 3

is a vertical section showing another form of the invention. Fig. 4 is a partial horizontal section and partial plan view of the Fig. 3 construction. Fig. 5 is a section corresponding to that of Fig. 3, but with the parts in a different position. And F 6 is a fragmentary side elevation View.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the numerals 1 and 2 represent the bed plates of a pair of cars to which the coupling arrangement is applied. The cars are provided with. racks 3 and 4 bolted securely to thecar structures. These racks are engaged by pinions arrangedat intervals along the line of travel ofthe cars for giving them their continuous forward movement beneath the series of grinding and polishing machines. These racks have nothing to do with the present invention,.exceptthat it so happens that certain parts of the coupling mechanism are supported upon the adjacent ends of these racks. Integral withthe end of the rack is a hook member 5' which constitutes one of'the coupling members designed to cooperate with the downwardly facing hook m be 6 rr e by t ethe an 1 'Weight's.

tion, as shown'when' the The uncoupling 18 Serial No. 114,644.

rack 3 has integral therewith a pair of upwardly extending bearing lugs 7, 7 in which is mounted the transverse pivot rod 8, such serving to'automatically uncouple the cars,

as later described. In order t'o'support the weights 13, 13 in raised position, a pair of latches 16 are provided pivoted upon brackets 17 and adapted to engage beneath the shoulders 18 for; ed upon the sides of the The lower ends of the latches are normally pressed to the left by means of springs'19 encircling. the stems 20 and engaging the washers 21. These latches are arranged so as to be moved to release posicar ends 1 and2 are brought into abutting relation, at'which time the ends of the stems 2O engage the lugs 22 carried by the bed plate 2.

When the parts are inthe the cars are tightly coupled together, as the weights 13 tend to swing the links 10,-1O in acounter clockwise direction ar'oundthe pivot rod 8, and the movement of the pin along this arc, marked A in Fig. 1, tends to move tli'ehookmember to the left. Because of the toggle arrangementand the leverarms 12,, the power as thus ekerted, tending to pullthe ends of the cars together is veryconsiderable, and any vibration incident to the grinding and polishing operations and incident to the movement of the cars along'the track tends to jar the weights downward and increase the pressure with which the car ends are brought into contact. accomplished automaticallyby the cams 15 which are arranged in the line of travel of the cars. wheels 14 on the weights 13 engage these cams, the arms 12 are moved upward and the links 10, 10 swung in a clockwise direction around the .pivot rod 8, sothat the pin' 11 moving upward along the are A loosens the engagement ofthe hook; member tl with the" opposing hook member 5. A

position shown,

ion

. mentum tends to pull further upward movement of the links 10 causes the engagement of the rear ends 23 thereof with the lugs 24 carried by the car body so that on a further movement of the parts upward, the hook member 6 is swung about the pin 11 as an axis until it is lifted clear of the hook member 5. At this time the roller 14 reaches the top of the cam 15 and the parts are maintained in the position specified until the rolls 14 ass down the inclines at the other ends 0 the cams 15, at which time the weights 13 are lowered until the shoulders 18 are engaged by the latches 16, the cars being separated at this time so that the stem 20 is to the right of the position shown, and the latches 18 are in position to engage the shoulders 18. This movement permits the links 10 to swing down until the hook member 6 again reaches a position such that it is in position for coupling when the end of the table is brought up against the end of another table. When two tables are thus brought together, the stems 20 of the latches are moved to the left, unhooking the latches and permitting the weights 13 to fall. This carries the hook member 6 to the left. with great force so that the car ends are jerked tightly together. It will be seen from the foregoing that the coupler is automatic in its action and that the arran ement positively insures against the cars being separated. The use of the weights 13 is preferred as compared with springs, because their mothe parts more tightly together, but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the use of Weights for the purpose of continuously applying the tension for actuating the toggle arrangement.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate a modification which in principle is the same throughout as the construction of Figs. 1 and 2., In this construction, the transverse shaft 24 is journaled in suitable bearings carried by the car body 25, and has keyed to its ends the levers or arms 26 provided with the weights 27 Mounted on the shaft 24 are the collars 28 having the elongated openings 29 therein and provided with the integral hook member 30, which corresponds with the hook member 6 of the Fig. 1 construction. A pair of collars 28 (Fig. 4) secured to the shaft 24 by the set screws 28 serve to hold the collars 28 and hook member 30 against movement longitudinally of the shaft 24. This hook member is adapted to cooperate with an opposing hook member 31 integral with the rack bar 32 carried by the car 33. The collars 28 and shaft 24 are provided with opposing recesses, as indicated in Fig. 3, and in these recesses are mounted the toggle links 34. The collar and hook member 30 are normally pressed yieldingly to the right by means of a pair of springs 35, 35

mounted upon the members 36, 36 engaging suitable recesses in the collars and in the vertical rib 37. When the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the weights 27 tend to rotate the shaft 24 in a clockwise direction, thus forcing the toggle links 34 to the left and moving the hook member 30 to the left, so that the opposing faces of the cars are clamped tightly together. \Vhen the cars move to the left and the wheels 38 carried by the weights 27 ride upward along the cams 39, the shaft 24 is turned in a counter clockwise direction to the position of Fig. 5, thus permitting the springs 35 to move the collars and hook member 30 to the right and release the pressure between the hook members. After the shaft 24 has turned a certain amount, the shoulders 40 (Fig. 5) engage the lower faces of the link members 34 so that on a further movement, the collars 28 are rotated in a counter clockwise direction, thus lifting the hook member 30 so that it clears the hook member 31. The parts are maintained in this position until the rollers 38 ride downward on the other ends of the cams 39, at which time the shaft 24 again turns in a clockwise direction until the latch members, corresponding to the latch 16 in the Fig. 1 construction, come into play. These latch members are in the form of the arms 41, pivoted at 42 and having the forwardly extending ends 43 adapted to be engaged by lugs 42 carried by the end of the car 33. The lower ends of the arms 41 are turned forward, as indicated at 44, and pressed yieidingly upward by the springs 45 mounted upon the bolts 46. The arms 41 are provided with catch shoulders 47 adapted to engage opposing shoulders 48 carried by the hubs 49 of the lever arms 26, so that when the hook member 30 in its downward movement arrives at the position shown in Fig. 3, the catch shoulders 47 engage the shoulders 48 and in this manner the hook member 30 is held in coupling position. The arms 41 are moved to the rear to permit the weights 27 to fall to the position illustrated in Fig. 3, when two cars are brought into abutting relation, at which time, the lugs 42 move the arms 41 to the left so that the weights drop and pull the car ends tightly together, as in the other type of construction.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in coupling apparatus fora car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to lit) thereby draw the cars together as the link means swings in one direction, means for yieldingly forcingthe link means in such direction, a latch for holding the link means in its reverse position, and means for releasing the latch.

2. In combination in a coupling apparatus for a car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to thereby draw the cars together as the link means swings in one direction, means for yieldingly forcing the link means in such direction, a latch for holding the link means in its reverse position, and means for releasing the latch. positioned so to be oper ated by the adjacent car as it comes into abutting relation therewith.

3. In combination in coupling apparatus for a car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to thereby draw the cars together as the link n ans swings in one direction, means for yieldingly forcing the link means in such direction, a latch for holding the link means in its reverse position, and means for releasing the latch, the parts being so arranged that the movement of the link means to said reverse position first moves the hook member forward, and then swings it upward to disengage it from the abutment on the adjacent car so that the cars may be drawn apart.

4. In combination in coupling apparatus for a car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to thereby draw the cars together as the link means swings in one direction, a weighted lever for yieldingly forcing the link means in such direction, a latch for holding the lever in raised position with the link means in reverse position, and means operated by the adjacent car as it comes into abutting relation therewith.

5. In combination in coupling apparatus for a car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to thereby draw the cars together as the link means swings in one direction, a weighted lever for yieldingly forcing the link means in such direction, arranged so as to be lifted by cam means located along the line of travel of the car and adapted to move the link means to reverse pos tion, a latch for holding the lever in its raised position with the link means in reversed position, and means operated by the adjacent car as it comes into abutting relation therewith for releasing the latch.

6. In combination in coupling apparatus for a car, a coupling hook member mounted for longitudinal and vertical swinging movement on said car, and adapted to be hooked over a projection on an adjacent car, pivot means fixed in the end of the car, toggle link means between the pivot means and the hook member, arranged to move the hook member so as to draw it inward towards the projection on the adjacent car to thereby draw the cars together as the link means swings in one direction, a weighted lever for yieldingly forcing the link means in such direction arranged so as to be lifted by cam means located along the line of travel of the car and adapted to move the link means to reverse position, a latch for holding the lever in its raised position with the link means in reversed position. and means operated by the adjacent car it comes into abutting relation therewith for releasing the latch, the parts being so arranged that the upward movement of the weighted lever first causes the hook member to move forward and then causes it to move upward to disengage it from the abutment on the adjacent car so that the cars may be drawn apart.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day of May, 1926.

HALBERT K. HITCHCOCK. 

